LeBron James destroys Kevin Durant with transition slam (Video)
By John Buhler
Two goliaths clash at small forward in the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Here is LeBron James taking Kevin Durant to school with a powerful transition slam.
The first two games of the 2017 NBA Finals have gone the way of the Golden State Warriors. They won both games in Oakland to take a 2-0 series lead into Game 3 in Cleveland on Wednesday night. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers still have some guy named LeBron James playing small forward for them.
Late in the first quarter in Game 3, James picked the pocket of Warriors center JaVale McGee and pushed the ball up the court for a fastbreak. He would make a few dribbles before deciding what to do with the basketball.
He sized up the bewildered Warriors transition defense and decided to attack its best player at the rim. Golden State small forward Kevin Durant had zero interest in contesting James when he elevated above the rim. Over a flailing McGee flying in from behind, James would lay down the hammer on this thunderous transition slam.
The steal. The slam!
— NBA (@NBA) June 8, 2017
Points No.15 for LeBron James on #NBAonABC! pic.twitter.com/N0RmXFQahm
That bucket would help James get to 16 first-quarter points, briefly tying the game up at 27 points apiece. However, Golden State would take a 39-32 lead into the second quarter on the road. Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson also had 16 first-quarter points in Game 3.
James has been playing at a ridiculously high level in the NBA Finals. He was averaging a triple-double in the first two games of this best-of-seven series. The problem is that his supporting cast has been non-existent. Point guard Kyrie Irving has gotten his points and little else. Power forward Kevin Love has played well, but center Tristan Thompson has completely disappeared.
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The Cavaliers need to win Game 3 to have any shot at getting back into this series. Losing to the Warriors in the NBA Finals wouldn’t be shameful, but it would make it increasingly difficult for James to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest NBA player of all time.